Key events
28th November 2012
6th August 2012
12th July 2012
15th May 2009
6th March 2009
6th March 2009
7th November 2008
24th June 2008
18th June 2008
12th June 2008
30th August 2015
29th May 2008
28th May 2008
29th February 2008
27th February 2008
6th February 2008
11th July 2007
25th July 2006
6th June 2006
15th May 2006
9th May 2006
2nd May 2006
21st November 2005
20th September 2005
15th September 2005
9th September 2005
David Hayter reprises Metal Gear Solid role in Ford commercials
"Snake is back. And he's driving a Ford."
Solid Snake voice actor David Hayter may have been replaced by Kiefer Sutherland, but the classic Metal Gear Solid actor is sure getting a lot of mileage out of the role as he just reprised his most well known character in a Ford commercial.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Rinse, repeat, resolve?
The games industry strikes back.
Editor's note: many spoilers lie ahead for the entire plot of Metal Gear Solid 4.
For the first time, Metal Gear Solid 4 will be available as a download
Hits PlayStation Network this month.
Metal Gear Solid 4 will be available to download from the PlayStation Network for PlayStation 3 on 17th December 2014, Konami has announced.
Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection dated for July in North America
UPDATE: And September in Europe.
UPDATE: Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection is now set for a September release in Europe, Konami has announced.
Kojima: Xbox 360 disc size to blame for lack of Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection
"When it's the next [Xbox] console, maybe we can release it."
Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection won't come out on the Xbox 360 because of that console's game disc size, according to Hideo Kojima.
“It's a welcome return to the rumour."
Konami has confirmed that Metal Gear Solid 4: 25th Anniversary Edition is indeed a PlayStation 3 exclusive after a New Zealand shop listed it for Xbox 360.
The listing on MightyApe.co.nz is for the game on Microsoft's console, but Konami told Eurogamer this morning this is not correct.
The box art looks like someone's Photosphopped the Xbox 360 logo onto the squatter PS3 Blu-ray image for the game. Oh, and the website itself says the Xbox 360 version is unavailable. "Sorry, this product is not currently available to order," it reads.
Metal Gear Solid 4 25th Anniversary Edition revealed
Cut price package out later this month.
Online shops have revealed Metal Gear Solid 4 25th Anniversary Edition.
Metal Gear Solid 4 Trophy patch live in Europe
Kill enemies then vomit for a bronze.
A patch that adds Trophy support to Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on PlayStation 3 has gone live in Europe.
The download, which weighs in at 516MB, will automatically begin when MGS4 players next sign into PlayStation Network, publisher Konami has announced.
The previously-revealed patch arrives as part of the Metal Gear Solid series' 25th anniversary.
Kojima silences Metal Gear Solid 5 Comic-Con rumours
Images that named "Project Ogre" as MGS5 are "completely fake".
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has branded images of Metal Gear Solid 5 "completely fake".
Metal Gear Solid 4 getting full install support
Install? Install?! INSTAAAAAAAAAAL!
The new budget-priced version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will include an option to fully install the game.
Metal Gear Solid 4 patch to add Trophy support
UPDATE: UK release confirmed for August.
UPDATE: Time to start Raiden those awards in the UK - Konami has just confirmed the Trophy-adding patch will be available in Blighty next month. It adds 34 Trophies to the game, and arrives as part of the series 25th Anniversary celebrations.
ORIGINAL STORY: Konami classic Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will receive Trophy support in an upcoming patch.
Trophies will arrive in a new budget version of the game due to release in Japan this August, Famitsu reports (via Andriasang).
Hideo Kojima confirms Metal Gear Solid 5 built using Fox Engine - report
"We have not yet finished with Solid Snake."
Hideo Kojima has confirmed Metal Gear Solid 5 will be built using the Fox Engine - according to a new interview.
The legendary Japanese game developer told the July issue of French magazine IG (via Gamekyo) that Metal Gear Solid 5 is indeed in the works, and hinted that Solid Snake may be in it.
We've had our French colleagues at Eurogamer.fr (Sweden lol) look over the report and they told us the following:
Hideo Kojima shows off impressive Fox Engine screenshots
Will Metal Gear Solid 5 look this good?
Hideo Kojima has shown off impressive Fox Engine screenshots, and perhaps offered a glimpse into Metal Gear Solid's future.
Next Metal Gear Solid targets "high-end consoles", "next-gen" Fox engine
Job ad Ocelot to take in.
Kojima Productions has dropped strong hints that the next big Metal Gear Solid game - presumably MGS5 - will be a next-generation game.
Metal Gear Online to be switched off in June
Konami to tranquilise service for good.
Metal Gear Solid 4 multiplayer spin-off Metal Gear Online will be switched off on 12th June, publisher Konami has announced.
Metal Gear Solid 5 expected between April 2013 and May 2014
Japanese investment firm targets fiscal 2014 for big release.
Metal Gear Solid 5 - the game Hideo Kojima expects he'll have to make - will launch at some point during publisher Konami's fiscal 2014, according to a Japanese investment analyst company.
Hideo Kojima reveals Metal Gear Solid 5 ideas
The Boss, the Cobra Unit and the invasion of Normandy.
Hideo Kojima has revealed some of his ideas for the yet to be made Metal Gear Solid 5 - one of which was to set the game in the invasion of Normandy.
New official Metal Gear Solid website explains series plot
Interactive timeline lays out universe.
Konami has launched a new Metal Gear Solid website that attempts to explain the series' complicated plot.
Kojima: "We'll probably have to make Metal Gear Solid 5"
"At some point."
Game developer legend Hideo Kojima has admitted he'll probably have to make Metal Gear Solid 5 eventually.
First Metal Gear Solid: Risk pics
Guns of the Patriots on your tabletop.
Guns of the Patriots on your tabletop.
Kojima will never be completely satisfied
Would give up making games if he was.
Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima will never be completely satisfied by the games he makes.
Kojima despises NES Metal Gear
"That title has only soiled my reputation."
NES made Metal Gear famous but series creator Hideo Kojima abhors that version of the game, calling it "pitiful", an "abomination" and a stain on his career.
Metal Gear Solid Wii U under discussion
Nintendo courts Kojima Productions.
Nintendo has approached Kojima Productions about working on a title for the Wii U, the Metal Gear Solid studio has confirmed.
Metal Gear Solid 5 rumoured for E3
Kojima has "big announcements" to make.
Rumour has it that Hideo Kojima may spill the beans on Metal Gear Solid 5 at this summer's annual E3 extravaganza.
Kojima shows Metal Gear Solid 4 on NGP
"We can enjoy same quality as PS3."
Legendary game developer Hideo Kojima marched onto the Sony stage this morning to show a jaw-dropping demonstration of Metal Gear Solid 4 running on the PSP2 - known now as the NGP (Next Generation Portable).
Kojima hiring for "next gen MGS series"
Wants PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 experience.
Kojima Productions is hiring for "Next Generation Metal Gear Solid Series Production Staff".
Sony extends PS3 Platinum range
MGS4! MotorStorm 2! Resistance 2! KZ2!
Sony has added four more PlayStation 3 heavyweights to the Platinum Hits range of games.
Kojima admits MGS confuses him too
Which is why he keeps detailed timelines.
Kojima Productions boss Hideo Kojima has admitted that even he finds the Metal Gear Solid series a bit puzzling, which is why he keeps detailed timelines for each character.
On why he's still making MGS and how he does it.
Whether you love or hate Metal Gear Solid, there's no denying that it's an exciting spectacle - in the game and on the internet, where more than a few people are properly crazy about it (2318 at the last count). But poor old Hideo Kojima just can't get shot of it. After so many last games, he's still at it, working directly on PSP title Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, overseeing development of Metal Gear Solid: Rising, and no doubt thinking hard about other ways to keep the wheels turning.
E3: Kojima tease now suggests new IP
Countdown ends tonight, 11pm UK time.
Kojima Productions has revealed a new teaser site that features the statuesque and patterned face of a woman that is overlaid with a swirly motif.
Big Boss appears on Kojima's teaser site
Can this be anything other than a new MGS?
The Kojima Productions teaser page has been steadily changing over the past two weeks, and now almost certainly points towards another Metal Gear Solid game.
Kojima Productions teases "Next" game
Is MGS going to be set in a field?
Kojima Productions has created a teaser page for its "Next" project ahead of the planned 18th May reveal.
Sales of MGS reach 4.75 million
Konami revenue up, but profits down.
Konami has seen a rise in sales of 4.2 per cent this fiscal year. Profits are down by more than 40 per cent, however, standing at JPY 10,874 million (GBP 2.1 billion).
The Metal Gear Solid series is still doing well, with 4.75 million copies now shifted around the globe. There are 1.3 million Metal Gear Online users worldwide.
The Pro Evolution Soccer series is also popular - nearly 8.5 million games were sold last year alone. Dance Dance Revolution: Hottest Party and Karaoke Revolution rounded out the line-up of Konami's big sellers.
MGS4 coming to 360, claims Twitterer
Microsoft's E3 conference line-up leaked?
Rumours of what Microsoft will be showing at E3 are flying, with talk of an Xbox 360 Metal Gear Solid 4 port topping the bill.
GDC: New Kojima game at E3, not GDC
Although his speech will be "entertaining".
Hideo Kojima has said that his new game will be announced at E3 and not GDC, despite the fact he's doing a keynote speech later, which we're covering live.
MGO SCENE expansion dated, priced
Play as Vamp and Raiden, loads more.
Konami has announced that the Metal Gear Online SCENE expansion will be released on 17th March in Europe for EUR 17.99.
The pack consists of playable Vamp and Raiden characters, along with three new maps, a new Solo Capture gameplay mode and a range of accessories.
If you're really keen on it, Konami will begin pre-orders on 10th March, and anyone who pays out then gets exclusive Cardboard Box Man headgear for use in the game as a loyalty bonus.
MGS4 joins the PS3 Platinum range
Now just 20 quid, but still 8 out of 10.
Konami will add Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to the discounted Platinum PS3 range of games from 5th March.
Kojima giving GDC keynote speech
How to make the impossible, possible.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima will be delivering a keynote speech at the Game Developers Conference next month.
Kojima picks 15 films that inspired MGS
Bond! The Great Escape! Predator!
Hideo Kojima has listed 15 films that helped him create the Metal Gear Solid series.
Festive LBP download confirmed, too.
Kotaku has spotted that the Asian PSN website has details of the Metal Gear Solid Sackboy costumes for LittleBigPlanet up, and there are a couple of surprises.
Colour scheme, images suggest Xbox.
Konami has whipped up a website teasing the next Metal Gear game.
MGS4 sells over 4 million copies
Snake puts in solid performance.
Konami has sold 4.33 million copies of Metal Gear Solid 4 around the world.
The stealthy PS3 exclusive helped Sony's platform account for 38 per cent of Konami games sold between April and September 2008.
This compares favourably to the piddly 1 per cent of Konami games sold on PS3 during the same period last year.
Plus GHWT tracks and PSone games.
Alone in the Dark and Metal Gear Solid 4 demos top the list of additions to the PlayStation Store this week because of the way we've formatted our list.
Schappert would love to see MGS4 on 360
"We definitely have the power to run it."
Xbox Live boss John Schappert has said he would love to see Metal Gear Solid 4 on 360, and that the console certainly has power enough to handle the beefy game.
Konami "looking into" MGS4 for Xbox 360
The rumour mill's a-grinding again.
The saga of whether Metal Gear Solid 4 will forever remain a PS3 exclusive has been ongoing for some time now. It's been going on like this: "Yes it will no it won't or will it yes no yes no no one cares."
Kojima already has ideas for MGS5
But doesn't want to get involved.
Hideo Kojima has said he already has three ideas for Metal Gear Solid 5. Only, he doesn't want the team to pick any of those because he doesn't want to get involved. He's stepping back, remember.
Metal Gear's dad on war and exclusives.
Hideo Kojima appeared rather melancholy when we spoke to him at Games Convention this year - which is to be expected, we suppose, since he's just finished the game that will almost certainly be his magnum opus. We spoke to him about MGS4's development, the importance of exclusive titles, and gamers' obsession with hardware.
Kojima wishes people would stop asking about MGS4 on 360
Future projects could be multiplatform.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has told Eurogamer that he looks forward to a day when people stop asking him whether MGS4 is coming out on Xbox 360.
Metal Gear advisor faces smuggling rap
US Government not too happy with him.
An army man who worked as a consultant on the Metal Gear Solid series is in trouble for allegedly smuggling night vision scopes out of the US.
Wii becomes best-selling US console
PS3 doubles 360 sales for June.
Nintendo has boasted about Wii becoming the best-selling current generation console in the US.
David Hayter takes on the Internet
Voice of Snake responds to reports.
Solid Snake voice man David Hayter has written an open letter to the Internet after comments he made at the Anime Expo recently were apparently "misinterpreted".
More OctoCamo patterns for MGS4
Amuse or enrage your enemies.
Konami has updated Metal Gear Solid 4 with two more downloadable OctoCamo patterns.
Kojima lists his top five games
Is a big fan of his own work.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has revealed his top five games, which just happen to include Metal Gear Solid.
Metal Gear Online going solo in Japan
Kojima hints at worldwide tournament.
Konami has announced the Metal Gear Online component of MGS4 will soon be available separately in Japan.
MGS4 shipments hit 3 million mark
Game has helped shift PS3s, says Kaz.
The total number of Metal Gear Solid 4 discs shipped now stands at 3 million, according to IGN.
MGS4 Database/Commando demo on PSN
Plus Pursuit Force for PSP and WOW song.
Sony has updated the PlayStation Store with the promised MGS4 Database and a demo of Wolf of the Battlefield: Commando 3.
Metal Gear Solid 4 sales top 1 million
In just a week. Limited edition sold out.
Konami has announced that 1 million copies of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots were shifted in Europe during the game's first week on sale.
As for those limited edition versions, complete with a Making Of Blu-ray disc, soundtrack CD and Snake mannequin - all 25,000 have now been snapped up.
"The Metal Gear Solid series has again proved its huge potential, and we are delighted with the fantastic response the game has enjoyed at retail," said top Konami bigwig Martin Schneider.
MGS4 database coming to Europe
It's just days away, apparently.
Konami has confirmed European gamers will get access to the Metal Gear Solid 4 database after all - and there's not long to wait.
More Metal Gear games on the way
May fill in gaps in Big Boss's background.
Ryan Payton, assistant producer on Metal Gear Solid 4, has confirmed there will be further instalments in the series - though they won't star Solid Snake.
Metal Gear Solid 4 tops Japanese chart
Outsells runner-up 12 times over.
Japan has gone absolutely bananas for Metal Gear Solid 4, snapping up over 465,000 copies in the game's first week on sale.
Limited edition MGS4 watch unveiled
Only 500 will be made. Hideo-approved.
Gamestation is now taking pre-orders for a limited edition Metal Gear Solid 4 watch.
MGS4 database on PS3 Store today
Only confirmed for the US so far.
Sony will be popping a special Metal Gear Solid 4 database application on the US PlayStation Store today.
MGS4 had "minimal" effect on PS3 sales
But DS colours light up the UK market.
Metal Gear Solid 4 has only managed to boost PS3 sales in the UK by seven per cent, GamesIndustry.biz reports.
The Konami blockbuster became the best-selling PS3-exclusive ever, according to opening weekend data from Chart-Track, and was second overall on the platform to only to Grand Theft Auto IV.
"There's not a lot to say about it - it had minimal impact really. [PS3] units were up by seven per cent," said Chart-Track's Dorian Bloch.
MGS4 debuts at top of UK charts
Not a record breaker. Full top 40 inside.
Metal Gear Solid 4 has shot to the top of the UK all formats chart, becoming the fastest-selling PS3-exclusive ever; second only to Grand Theft Auto IV.
MGS4: London midnight launch photos
Game's out today.
Kojima at Oxford Street HMV today
Signing pre-orders from noon onwards.
HMV has boasted that its Oxford Street store in London will be housing Metal Gear Solid 4 creator Hideo Kojima this afternoon.
"MGS will always be around" - Kojima
But new team may take on next game.
Hideo "This is the last one no it's not yes it is oh go on then" Kojima has said he may lend a hand with the next instalment in the Metal Gear Solid series.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots review
From the archive: Going out with a bang.
Editor Oli Welsh writes: On the eve of Metal Gear Solid 5's release, we thought it would be fun to revisit my review of MGS4, one of our more controversial at the time (back when we did scores). In May 2008 I was only a few months into employment with Eurogamer and honestly had no idea that what I thought of as an affectionately sceptical review would be met with over 2000 furious comments and some pretty colourful personal feedback. Looking back on it now, the closing kiss-off was perhaps a provocation too far, but I stand by the rest of it - and I've been delighted to see Snake and Kojima prove me wrong by moving with the times, while preserving the games' unique flavour, in Ground Zeroes and The Phantom Pain.
Metal Gear Solid has always been a love it or hate it proposition. Millions love it for its involved, conspiratorial plotting, its arch sense of humour, its demanding stealth gameplay, its sprawling cinematic ambition, its preposterous stylishness and pretensions toward artistic weight. Millions hate it for exactly the same reasons.
Then there are those - this reviewer included - for whom Metal Gear Solid is a love it and hate it proposition. Flawed, intractable, unspeakably tedious at times, and yet blessed with incredible production values, imaginative design, and a brilliant, brave willingness to think and do the unexpected and impossible. At times they're barely videogames at all, but they're capable of moments of pure videogame genius, joy and shock that few other series can match.
Two more MGS4 characters confirmed
Potential spoilers inside.
A scan from this week's Famitsu has popped up online, revealing two new characters who'll crop up in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Or rather, two old characters who'll return - since we're talking here about Mai Ling (from Metal Gear Solid) and Rosemary (from Metal Gear Solid 2).
That's a bit of a double edged sword, really. Mai Ling, a naval officer with a curious habit of regaling you with utterly nonsensical Chinese proverbs, was a hugely popular character, even after an ill-advised change of voice actress in the Twin Snakes remake.
MGS4 soundtrack details revealed
Special edition goodies unveiled.
Famitsu has got details of the Japanese release of the Metal Gear Solid 4 soundtrack for us this morning - not terribly comprehensive details, but a taster at least of what those of you who've pre-ordered the UK special edition of the game will be getting for your extra cash.
Launching in Japan as a standalone package today (with an appropriately moody looking close-up of Snake's wrinkly face on the cover), the soundtrack comes on a single CD and contains 47 tracks.
It's composed, as ever, by the series' musical stalwarts Nobuko Toda and Harry Gregson-Williams, and on past experience, we'd suggest avoiding track listings if you don't want major spoilers.
Kojima to sign MGS4 sleeves in London
With Yoji Shinkawa on 2nd June.
While out on news patrol earlier we completely missed an enormously conspicuous press release lying unconvincingly across some flattened grass trying to fit a giant spinning ration box into its overflowing utility belt: it said that Hideo Kojima and Yoji Shinkawa will be at HMV's Oxford Street, London store on 2nd June.
Metal Gear series not finished with
But Solid Snake story is, says producer.
Metal Gear Solid 4 will not necessarily be the end of the series, but rather the farewell to Solid Snake and his story.
Konami confirms MGS4 plans.
Konami has confirmed there are no plans to make its Metal Gear Solid 4 hardware bundle available in the UK.
Japan surpassed by West - Kojima
"Sad as it may be, it's the truth."
Hideo Kojima believes that the Japanese games industry has been surpassed by Western developers.
Altair costume unlockable in MGS4
Snake has an iPod, too.
Metal Gear Solid 4 will have an unlockable Altair costume in it after all.
Metal Gear Solid 4 UK Limited Edition plans
Konami unveils it and pre-order rewards.
Konami has announced a UK Limited Edition version of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots as well as a special pre-order campaign.
Kojima not dissatisfied with PS3 at all
Something was lost in translation.
Metal Gear Solid 4 creator Hideo Kojima has said his comments about being limited by the PS3 hardware were taken out of context as a result of Japanese to English translations.
But looks like console will be black.
SCEE boss David Reeves has confirmed Europe will be getting a Metal Gear Solid 4 hardware bundle featuring a PS3, Sixaxis and a copy of the game on 12th June for EUR 439.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
The beginning of the end.
It begins with... well, we can't tell you how Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots begins. We can't, and we won't. Can't, because we promised Konami we wouldn't; having generously granted us three days to play through the whole thing, the publisher is understandably paranoid about spoilers, with the game still six weeks from release. Won't, because we want you to feel exactly the same delicious, hair-raising mix of bemused awe and shock-of-the-new that we did when you turn it on for the first time. Metal Gear Solid 4, it is instantly apparent, is special. It's not like other games.
New mode and map for Metal Gear Online
Two teams fight as Snake picks them off.
Konami has updated the Metal Gear Online beta test with a new "Sneaking Mission" game mode and a map called "Midtown Maelstrom" based on one of the environments in Metal Gear Solid 4.
MGS 4 features "implied child rape"
BBFC gets its rating wand out.
The BBFC has revealed that Metal Gear Solid 4 will feature "references to suicide and an implied child rape."
Sony quiet on plans for Europe.
Konami has konfirmed that the gunmetal grey PlayStation 3, already available in Japan, is set to go on sale in North America as a "very, very limited edition".
Kojima talks about the future of MGS
Might not end in June.
Hideo Kojima has said Metal Gear Solid 4 might not necessarily be the last instalment in the series.
Japan to get steel-coloured PS3
All in the name of MGS4.
Japanese gamers look set to get the option of picking up steel-coloured PS3 as part of a Metal Gear Solid 4 bundle.
Equilibrium writer targeted for MGS film
Project back on track following strikes.
Kurt Wimmer is top of the list to write and presumably direct a Metal Gear Solid film.
Kojima working on non-MGS concept
Hiding it under cardboard box.
Metal Gear Solid series creator Hideo Kojima is reportedly working on a new game concept away from the Metal Gear universe.
MGS4 required cuts to fit on Blu-ray
So says Hideo Kojima.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots is so big that it wouldn't even fit on a Blu-ray disc properly.
MGS not being ported to PS2 after all
Konami US claims misunderstanding.
It seems the original Metal Gear Solid will not be on a PS2 DVD in the Essential Collection after all.
12th June, says Konami everywhere.
Konami has announced that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released in Europe on 12th June as well as in the US.
MGS4's US June release confirmed
Beta test dated too.
Konami has confirmed that Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released in the US on 12th June for PS3.
Elsewhere, Sony revealed that the Metal Gear Online beta test will begin on 21st April and run for "approximately two weeks".
In order to qualify in the US, players will need to pre-order MGS4 once the pre-sale package goes on, er, sale in April.
"No plans" for MGS4 PS3 bundle here
America gets, Europe waits.
SCEE has "no plans" to release a Metal Gear Solid 4 PS3 bundle or God of War PSP bundle in Europe.
US Metal Gear Solid 4 date and MGO beta
Euro announcement expected this week.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots will be released in North America in "late Q2 2008", according to SCEA, with a Metal Gear Online "Starter Pack" to launch "to support online gameplay".
Those who pre-order MGS4 in the US will also be guaranteed access to a "multiplayer beta test" in late April, although that statement doesn't seem to rule out other paths into the test.
Konami has confirmed the above to Eurogamer, but a release date announcement for Europe is not expected until later in the week.
MGS collection unconfirmed for Europe
Konami yet to reveal plans.
Konami has said Metal Gear Solid: The Essential Collection is yet to be confirmed for Europe.
The publisher told vigilant blog videogaming247 that until it officially outs the PS2 collection for our lands there's nothing to say.
Inside the collection is MGS, MGS2 (director's cut) and MGS3. It all comes wrapped up in fancy artwork, costs USD 29.99 or thereabouts, and should be out in the States before Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Sneak previewed.
There's one small feature - inconsequential, really - that we noticed during our playtest of the next Metal Gear Solid that really sums the game up. Maybe even the whole series. At certain moments during cut-scenes, when a familiar character appears or there's a reference to some past event, a button prompt appears in the corner of the screen. But it's not an invitation to skip (although you can - and for the first time, you can skip codec conversations, too). It's not some kind of simon-says scripted action moment, or 'cineractive', in the uniquely horrible term coined for them this year. No: it's a flashback button.
Konami committed to MGS4 Q2 target
Can already be played start to finish.
Konami says that Metal Gear Solid 4 is "on the eve of entering bug-checking phase" and that the developer is still committed to the game's Q2 release date.
Kojima wants realistic violence
Likes facial disfiguration.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima believes violence in games should be more realistic, in order that we can see the consequences of our actions.
Exclusives under pressure.
Metal Gear Solid 4 has to sell over a million copies on day one if it is to be profitable, GamesIndustry.biz reports.
So Solid crew can do more.
Konami Japan has delayed the release of Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots by pushing it back to the second quarter of 2008 (April - June).
Glance over the videos of Metal Gear Solid 4 - and there have been plenty, including the hilarious new Tokyo Game Show addition - and you might be given the impression that it's a complicated game full of fiddly little controls. That's certainly how it looks when Kojima acts it out. Fortunately, it's not how it plays. In fact, judging by the playable demo here in Makuhari, it's gone from being slightly awkward to deceptively but welcomely simple. And let us not forget that it has a monkey in it.
MGS4 and Online playable. Plus the rest of Konami's line-up.
Metal Gear Solid 4 and Metal Gear Solid Online will both be playable at Tokyo Game Show this week. Konami has also prepared new trailers for both, which it showed off at a Japanese press conference earlier today.
Mantis, Octopus, Raven, Wolf.
Hideo Kojima unveiled four of the Metal Gear Solid 4 bosses during a packed press conference in Leipzig this morning, saying he wanted to top the bosses in all the previous Metal Gear games.
Promises big reveals, new games.
Hideo Kojima will be on-hand to demo Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots to attendees at Games Convention later this month.
Xbox 360 version isn't real.
High Street retailer HMV has admitted a pre-order listing for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on the Xbox 360 was a mistake by its online admin team, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting.
On Eurogamer TV now.
The first in-game footage of Meta Gear Solid 4 PS3 is now showing on Eurogamer TV.
No place to hide. Apart from everywhere.
No place to hide. Apart from everywhere.
Subsistence follow-on mentioned.
Creator of the Metal Gear series Hideo Kojima has revealed that his team is developing online play for PS3.
E3: MGS4 PS3 exclusivity confirmed
Out worldwide next spring.
Earlier this evening Sony America boss Jack Tretton reconfirmed Metal Gear Solid 4 as an exclusive PS3 title.
The announcement was coupled with the appearance of Hideo Kojima at Sony's E3 conference, presenting never-before-seen real-time footage (in the West) of the game. He then revealed that it would be released worldwide in spring 2008.
The trailer filled us in on the hit Snake is hired for, and a little about his history. The veteran hero has to take care of old enemy Liquid Ocelot who will be voiced by Pat Zimmerman.
Konami questions PS3 price cut
Metal Gear exclusivity iffy.
Konami reckons the USD 100 price cut won't significantly improve sales of the PS3, and as a result the upcoming Metal Gear Solid 4 game may not remain exclusive to the format, GamesIndustry.biz is reporting.
Says Konami financials.
Apart from allowing it to pay off its bar tab and that, Konami's end-of-year financial report also brought news that Metal Gear Solid 4 is scheduled for release within the publisher's next fiscal year.
Kojima waffles at GO3.
Metal Gear Solid 4 will feature psychological effects and battles, according to creator Hideo Kojima, who was waxing lyrical at last weekend's GO3 Entertainment Expo in Australia.
Familiar faces return to MGS4.
Konami has revealed that David Hayter will be returning to voice the ageing Solid Snake in Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriot.
Also fancies doing a PC game.
Hideo Kojima has admitted that he has a "strong interest" in working on Xbox 360. Interestingly, he also says he'd like to work on the PC.
Hopes it'll come back.
Hideo Kojima, currently developing Metal Gear Solid 4 on PlayStation 3, says he's missing the rumble functionality.
Plus, TGS trailer details.
Konami will show yet another Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailer during this week's Tokyo Game Show, and it'll be about six minutes long and comprised mainly of gameplay footage.
Five total from Kojima studio.
Hideo Kojima's internal Konami studio, Kojima Productions, will be out in force at the Games Convention in Leipzig, Germany, next month - with five new games to show off.
These include Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots on PlayStation 3, for which we're promised "a spectacular video trailer", as well as new PSP title Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops.
MGS fans will also get the chance to check out Metal Gear Solid 3: Subsistence in person, ahead of its release this October on PS2. It's been out in the US for (ahem) some time now.
For long-term success.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima and Square-Enix's Tetsuya Nomura both believe PlayStation 3 will be the best outlet for their games in two or three years' time.
Tilt controls? Kojima's last MGS?
The stealth camouflage shown off in Metal Gear Solid 4's E3 trailer will play a key role, says Hideo Kojima - and what's more this will be his last game in charge.
MGS4 may even make use of the PlayStation 3's tilt sensor controller. "Perhaps you could use it for the FP view, or to shake down guards for items (like in the past MGS games), but nothing is decided," the game's creator says.
Speaking to US mag PSM2, Kojima said that the "active camouflage system" that allows Snake to blend quickly into his surroundings is known as "Octo-cam" - a fusion of Octopus and Camouflage. Sounds like Hideo.
Indulge yourself. Kojima did.
Those of you after a look at the extended Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailer that Konami showed off at E3 can now find it on Eurogamer TV.
The trailer sheds a bit more light on the plot of the game, which sees is rejoin Solid Snake as he's getting on a bit, in a climate where private military companies dominate global warfare and several old friends and enemies are getting together for one last hurrah/oblivion.
Worth it for a couple of key battle sequences alone (and don't miss the one after the credits), it's worth pointing out that Hideo Kojima says it's all done in-engine on the PlayStation 3, for which it'll debut next year.
Kojima's going to Hollywood!
Following Hideo Kojima's confirmation that a Metal Gear Solid movie is in the pipeline, Solid Snake's dad has announced that a contract with a top Hollywood studio has finally been, er, finalised.
Plus new DS and PSP titles.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima took to the stage at Konami's E3 press conference to reveal that he's currently working on no less than four new projects.
Watch the E3 Metal Gear trailer
Is this the end for Solid Snake?
The Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer shown at Sony's pre-E3 press conference is now yours to view via Eurogamer TV - and it's well worth checking out.
We won't spoil it for you, other than to say that the trailer suggests a political theme to the game, a bit of mech action and the return of some old friends. And as for the ending...
If that doesn't satisfy your appetite for PS3, you can also watch the Sony conference in its entirety - just head on over to Eurogamer TV.
'Can't say when yet.'
Metal Gear Solid will become a movie, says Hideo Kojima, but he can't say when yet.
That's according to a HIDECHAN Radio piece during which Kojima, series creator, confirmed what fans have long wanted to hear: "We're going to do it as a movie."
It's going to be in English apparently, although he wouldn't be drawn on a potential release date. "I can't say when yet," he admitted.
BloodRayne film officially sucks
Boll to direct Metal Gear film?
In news that will come of absolutely no surprise to anyone at all, Uwe Boll's latest big screen videogame adaptation has been slammed by US critics following its Stateside release.
Metal Gear series to go online
Kojima to develop PC games too?
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has announced that he's hoping to following up MGS3: Subsistence, which features secondary online modes, with a game that will properly take the series online for the first time.
MGS4 could be done on Xbox 360
It's MGS3's fault.
Hideo Kojima says the only reason that Metal Gear Solid 4 is debuting on PlayStation 3 is that he likes to be first with everything, and that the last year's focus on MGS3 meant Kojima Productions didn't have any time to get to grips with Xbox 360. Actually, he says, it could quite happily work on Microsoft's system.
When you buy MG Acid 2.
The Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots trailer shown at the Tokyo Game Show this year was mighty impressive - we thought so, anyway.
But it might have been even more impressive if we'd been watching it in glorious 3D, as those who buy a copy of Metal Gear Acid 2 for PSP will be able to.
As previously announced, MGA 2 will come bundled with a new "Solid Eye" peripheral which lets you view parts of the game in 3D. And now Konami has revealed that the game UMD will also include the MGS4 trailer - which you can watch using the Solid Eye.
Reflections on Metal.
Hideo Kojima's Japanese blog is being translated into English - giving us a chance to quote direct from the Metal Gear Solid creator's online musings rather than relying on unofficial translations.
Revolver Ocelot is back!
Hideo Kojima has revealed some more details of the fourth instalment in the Metal Gear Solid series, including news that Revolver Ocelot will be back and ready to take on Snake once again.
Explains why he didn't retire.
Great news for Metal Gear Solid fans - series creator Hideo Kojima has started a new blog on the Kojima Productions website.
Guns of the Patriots fire some shots.
Guns of the Patriots fire some shots.
There's a twist in the tale.
By now you've probably seen the trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots from the Tokyo Game Show - but turns out there's another one, too, titled Metal Gear Raiden: Snake Eraser.
You may recall that the previous MGS4 trailer shown at E3 back in May featured Snake and Raiden rowing about who would get to be the lead character this time around.
Well, the saga continues in the Snake Eraser trailer on show at Konami's TGS booth, and we're here to tell you all about it. Are you sitting comfortably? Then we'll begin.
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots
Solid Snake: Ovaltine Years. Read preview, watch trailer.
The Tokyo Game Show 2005 trailer for Metal Gear Solid 4 can be found on the Kojima Productions website.
Snake gets pipe, slippers?
With not long to go until Konami finally unveils the fourth instalment in the Metal Gear Solid series, Famitsu has revealed a few juicy details of what we can expect - including news that we could be about to find out what happens to game heroes when they get old.
Screenshots in the magazine show an elderly man complete with wrinkly skin, grey hair and a moustache. He has a muscular physique, sports a grey bandana and enjoys smoking... Ring any bells?
Yes, that's right - while it's not been confirmed by Konami, said character is looking awfully like an older Solid Snake. Or perhaps they're related - Grandpa Solid, maybe? Who knows...
Metal Gear 4 trailer real-time
The one that'll be at TGS, that is.
The Metal Gear Solid 4 trailer on display at the Tokyo Game Show next week will be running on actual PlayStation 3 hardware, according to Kojima Productions, the Konami subsidiary set-up to handle Metal Gear and Hideo Kojima's other works.
That's actual PS3-generated content, apparently, and not just footage rendered to a certain target specification - which ties in with what Kojima was saying recently about showing "something from PS3" at the event. We do love those thoroughly ambiguous interview answers.
Speaking of which, he had also said to expect something that wasn't just a high-resolution version of what we had previously, but something "a little more natural and with a natural flow when creating a world". Expect codec conversations about herbal remedies and the beauty and variety of orchids, then.
Kojima talks Metal Gear 4, Subsistence and Acid 2
TGS will reveal more, he admits.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has unveiled some tantalising info regarding his forthcoming projects, including the hugely-anticipated PlayStation 3 title Metal Gear Solid 4.
Hail CESA!
Having already announced that there will be lots of exhibitors at the Tokyo Game Show, organisers CESA (the Computer Entertainment Software Association) have revealed a basic list of games we can definitely expect to see - with more to be confirmed.
Kojima talks about next-gen.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has told Famitsu that he chose PlayStation 3 for the next instalment in his stealth-action series because of loyalty to Sony, according to a partial translation by US website IGN.
Weighs in on next-gen.
Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima has weighed in on the battle of the next generation consoles, stressing their diversity and cautioning that he is "not sure if everyone can live up to that high standard that Sony is expecting" on PlayStation 3 - the platform for which his Konami subsidiary Kojima Productions is developing the next Metal Gear Solid title.
And he's got his own studio.
Metal Gear Solid 4 is coming exclusively to the PlayStation 3, which - if you've been paying attention - you probably knew already. What you may not know is that that series creator Hideo Kojima, world-renowned for creating damn fine stealth action games and having a rather tenuous grip on reality at the best of times, is back at the helm for this next instalment of the series.
The series creator says his absence may curtail references and Codec humour, but says stealth will be key and that next-gen formats could lead to more "conceptual" or "spiritual" ideas.
Hideo Kojima says that the "No place to hide" line Konami is using to promote Metal Gear Solid 4, which it started developing for next-generation formats just last week, is not an indication that the series is to abandon its stealth roots, but rather a comment on an interesting new setting.
Metal Gear Solid 4 on next-gen
Hideo Kojima will take an executive producer role on the next game, the first in a new series featuring Solid Snake.
Metal Gear Solid 4 "will be a next-generation title" and will be the first in a brand new series featuring Solid Snake, Hideo Kojima has told the massed ranks of journalists at a Berlin press event this week, echoing sentiments expressed in last year's MGS3 trailer for the Tokyo Game Show, which described the third game in the series as the "Final Episode in the Metal Gear Solid Trilogy".
Konami has 'ideas' for Metal Gear Solid 4
"We'll continue to create more titles in the series."
Konami is planning to create a fourth Metal Gear Solid game, Motoyuki Yoshioka, head of Konami JPN, confirmed this week as the publisher reported its financial results for the first half of FY2005.
